Samajwadi Party MP and Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan on Monday made a pointed attack on the entrenched VIP culture in the national capital, saying it is not just an inconvenience for ordinary citizens but a threat to democratic values and public safety.
Speaking on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, Bachchan said the issue deserves serious attention and called on the House Chairman to take it up directly with the government.
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Bachchan described a pattern that many Delhi commuters know well: roads blocked, traffic diverted, and ordinary people left waiting for extended stretches whenever a VIP — a politician, senior official, or other dignitary — is on the move.
She said that in some cases, MPs themselves are forced to wait up to half an hour due to VIP convoys passing through, often having to carefully plan their travel just to reach Parliament on time.
Bachchan did not hold back when describing a recent personal experience. She said the main gate of Parliament was shut due to VIP movement while she was trying to leave, leaving her and fellow MPs stranded outside and waiting.
She called it the most humiliating experience of her 22-year parliamentary career, adding that the situation was entirely unacceptable — particularly since MPs posed no conceivable security threat to any VIP.
In another instance, she said she was stuck in traffic for nearly an hour while trying to attend a farewell function hosted by Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan for retiring members of the House — again because of VIP movement on Delhi's roads.
Beyond the inconvenience to commuters and MPs, Bachchan raised a more serious concern: emergency services.
She warned that when traffic is halted entirely for VIP convoys, ambulances carrying patients in critical condition are also blocked — a situation that could, in the worst cases, cost lives.
Drawing on her travels abroad, Bachchan noted that VIP security arrangements exist in other countries too — but that ordinary citizens are not subjected to the same level of disruption as they are in Delhi.
She argued that the continuation of this culture shows a fundamental disrespect for taxpayers and runs counter to the spirit of democracy.
Bachchan urged Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan to personally intervene and push the government to act on the issue.
She warned that mounting public frustration over VIP inconvenience was not without consequence, and that if left unaddressed, it could eventually lead to incidents of road rage and broader social friction.
"Ending VIP culture is essential to ensure respect for taxpayers and uphold the spirit of democracy," she said.